


The Courage of Stars

by fourredfruits



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 14:46:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18143591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourredfruits/pseuds/fourredfruits
Summary: It wasn’t only Pogo and Allison who had kept Vanya's power a secret.





	The Courage of Stars

It wasn’t only Pogo and Allison who had hidden the truth about Vanya from herself. The thing was, Five had a surprisingly good memory and although it wasn’t eidetic or interesting enough to draw Reginald Hargreeves’ attention, his earliest memories could go farther than what was considered normal. He remembered one afternoon in which Vanya, who could not have been more than a year and a couple of months old, burst into tears and everything on the table, mantle and bookshelves started to rattle violently. That wasn’t the only time he watched Vanya using her power. He remembered much more.

 

He never told anyone though. As he grew up, he realized how valuable that information could be to the old man and his experiments but he still didn’t. What Reginald Hargreeves did to the children to test and train their extraordinary powers varied from distasteful to downright horrifying. It was not kindness or goodness of his heart that he withheld the little piece of knowledge. He only did not want to give that horrible man the satisfaction. He also did not have a problem with Vanya staying on the other side of the window, safe and untouched. She got to be the one and only ‘ordinary one’ in the Academy. She did not have to get the stupid umbrella tattoo on her wrist either and it fucking hurt.

 

At some point, he noticed how it made her feel alone and insecure. He clearly knew it was wrong to keep it a secret from her and almost told her one day but then the Umbrella Academy was called in for their first mission. They were twelve back then. However, there was nothing that would make him feel nostalgic about the mission. They were almost killed—Diego had a huge scar on his back to show for it—and they most certainly killed. Unfortunately, their first enemies were not evil robots or zombies. They killed flesh and blood people. When they got back, he had already changed his mind. Vanya would remain ordinary no matter how sad it would make her. He would tell her eventually. He just had to wait until they could leave this damned mansion. Ordinary was good. Ordinary was safe. That was what he thought.

 

-Why me?

She had asked. Her brown eyes stared at him the same way it had. He could feel the uncertainty and worry behind her eyes. He had spent almost a whole life time in a world without her but felt like he’d seen her yesterday. He realized then he had missed her, terribly, even. It was perhaps why he came to her. He understood if she did not feel the same way though. There were years and years between them now.

-Because you are ordinary.

Her eyes dropped to the floor instantly, poorly hiding the wound in them. It was not something she’d wanted to hear. It still haunted her. He could have told her the truth then. The old man was six feet under, unable to touch them anymore. No more abusive training or missions that could get them killed.

-Because you’ll listen.

He wanted to tell her everything. He did. However, the world was going to end in eight days and this was going to be their last mission. He would tell her after they stop the apocalypse. She would hate him for it but he would do it because it was the right thing.

 

 

 

He was wrong this time and as the world was about to crumble to dust, he thought hard about that. The moment he learned that it was not anyone else but Vanya who had caused the apocalypse, he knew that it was on him. He was stupid. He made an unacceptable mistake which was not knowing that Reginald Hargreeves was aware of Vanya’s power all along and took extensive measures to block and suppress her power. Five assumed that if the man knew about her power, he would be all about using it for the ‘greater good.’ Reginald was obsessed with making heroes and never cared for anything else. Who would have thought he would drug his adopted kid and manipulate her into thinking that she was a worthless piece of shit who could achieve nothing in her life?

 

The worst thing was Five had been his accomplice all the while. He suddenly felt intense pain in his chest and had to put his hand over it. He distantly thought this must be what it feels to have one’s heart broken. It hurt so much it surprised him a little. All he had wanted was to keep her safe. He was not sure why but it just felt right to see her unharmed, warm and safe inside the house after every battle he fought. She was the only piece of any humanity he could find in that cold and enormous Hargreeves mansion, someone he could come back to.

 

“If only Sir Reginald could see us right now, huh?” Diego murmured,

“The Umbrella Academy. A total failure.”

Five could literally see the end of the world approaching and everyone seemed to be unable to take their eyes off of the impending doom. Allison held onto unconscious Vanya tightly, her eyes tearful but calm as if accepting their fate.

He nearly gave in to self-loathing which was very new to him but then his brilliant mind never would. It possibly offered him another chance. He might not be able to make up for everything but it would give everyone and Vanya another day to face and change things.  

 

“At least we are together at the end, as a family,” Luther turned his head, his wide shoulders hiding most of his profile.

“This doesn’t have to be the end.”

Luther, Diego and Klaus all turned back to face him fully. The expression on their face did not speak of hope but whatever.

“What are you saying, Five?”

“I think I have a way out of here but you got to trust me on this.”

They were already shaking their heads before he even finished his sentence.

“Well then we might as well accept our fate because in less than a minute, we’re gonna be vaporized.”

“What’s your idea then?” Diego spat out over his shoulder.

“We use my ability to time travel. But this time, I’ll take you with me.”

 

It only took a few seconds for them to make up their minds. They exchanged looks and nodded tersely. After all, what other choice did they have?

“Okay, great. Luther, grab Vanya.”

Luther obliged but then as he gathered Vanya in his arms, he looked up uncertainly at Allison and Five.

“Wait, should we be taking her?”

At that moment, Five kinda wanted to punch him in the face for asking.

“I mean if she’s the cause of the apocalypse, isn’t it like taking the bomb with us?”

He would have picked her up himself if he wasn’t going to open a time portal big enough to fit in six adults and a teenager but since he couldn’t, he tried to explain it to Luther patiently.

“The apocalypse will always happen and Vanya will always be the cause, unless we take her with us and fix her.”

It was true that a small part of him wanted to start again, with Vanya who were yet to learn how she was kept in the dark about who she was and what she was capable of. So he was a coward and ashamed of it. But there simply was no fucking way he would leave his Vanya here, alone. Once was more than enough.

He might have failed at keeping her safe but he would stay by her side, this time.

 


End file.
